


Thin, Pale Lines

by CosmicCove



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crying, Cutting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, I really like the Bradley cuts headcanon, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 08:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24966790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicCove/pseuds/CosmicCove
Summary: Bradley has a secret he hasn't told anyone, but there's finally someone he wants to share it with.
Relationships: Milo Murphy/Bradley Nicholson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Thin, Pale Lines

Milo Murphy and Bradley Nicholson had known each other almost their whole lives, and yet at the same time, they hardly knew each other at all for most of that time. Now, they were near inseparable. After a lifetime of misunderstanding, they understood each other perfectly, synched. A steady relationship led to both of them knowing everything about each other. 

Well, almost everything. 

There was one more thing that Bradley had been hiding. Today was the day. He was going to tell Milo something he had told no one else before. He tugged nervously at his sleeves, worrying about what could happen. All he could imagine was anger; wouldn’t Milo be angry that he’d do such a thing, or that he’d kept it a secret for so long? He tried to shake the thoughts away. 

He pulled out his phone. “Hey, can you come over?” he texted, “I need to talk to you.” He read over what he’d sent, and then hastily added, “It’s not anything about you or our relationship, I just really need to say this in person.” 

The read icon appeared, and then a few seconds after, “Sure!” 

After five agonizing minutes of only his thoughts being with him, there was a polite knock at the door. Bradley smiled wearily, opening the door. There Milo was, beaming as usual, like a ray of sunshine. 

“Hello Bradley!” He greeted, grabbing hold of his hand gently, and stepping inside. After a pause, his grin shrunk into a soft smile, and he asked, “Is everything all right?” 

Bradley laughed nervously, “That’s a good question.” He felt so anxious over what could happen next, but he wasn’t frowning. There was no way he could frown with Milo around. 

“Are your parents home?” Milo asked quietly. 

“No, I wouldn’t do this with them home,” Bradley answered. 

“Makes sense.” 

“This isn’t about them anyways. ...Well, maybe a little, but not really.” 

“Then what is it about?” 

“It’s about me.” 

Milo looked at him, eyes full of both concern and curiosity. Bradley could only guess if Milo was just as nervous as he was; his smile never faltered. 

“I’ll tell you in my room.” Even while alone, the open space of the living room seemed too vast. Bradley wanted somewhere that felt personal, close, to tell his most hidden secret 

Milo nodded, “Understandable.” 

Bradley walked so fast to his room he was practically running. He was so scared, he didn’t know how he was going to do it. He only knew that he was going to. He hovered outside the doorway, waiting for Milo to catch up, failing to calm himself. 

“Okay, now I’m really concerned,” Milo told him as he reached his room, “You hardly ever go running off like that. 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Bradley apologized, “I just… I’m scared.” 

“Scared? Scared of what?” 

“Scared of telling you this.” 

There was a beat. “Oh Bradley, you know you can tell me anything,” Milo hummed softly, taking his boyfriend’s hands into his own softly. 

_I sure hope so,_ Bradley thought as he walked inside, still clutching onto Milo’s hands. He sat on his bed, and Milo followed suit. Bradley took a deep breath. 

“I have to tell you something. I’ve never told anyone else this before.” 

“Never?” Milo breathed. 

“Never.” 

Milo paused, then nodded slowly. “I’m listening.” 

For a few seconds, Bradley was driven speechless by his indecision on how to say what needed to be said. “Please don’t be mad,” he started, playing around with the cuff of his sleeve. The color drained from Milo’s face, but he didn’t say anything. Bradley struggled to find the words to say, stammering out bits of things he thought he wanted to tell him but then changed his mind about. Finally, he sighed. “I think it’d be easier to just show you,” he muttered. 

Bradley took hold of the sleeve he’d been running through his fingers and slowly pulled it up, revealing a row of thin, pale lines. Barely audibly, he heard Milo inhale sharply, his eyes widening as realization sunk in. 

“How long?” Milo asked quietly. 

“A few years.” 

“Why?” A question so quiet, Bradley almost didn’t hear it. 

“I was… Overwhelmed, I guess is what I was feeling. It’s hard to say for certain,” Bradley answered, his voice crackling, “Out of everything I was feeling, it was something I could control. It made me feel better when everything kept getting worse.” 

“It made you feel better?” 

“I don’t understand it either.” 

There was a moment of total silence. Neither knew what to say. What was there to say, anyways? Slowly, Bradley lowered his sleeve, feeling his eyes burning just a little. 

“Still?” 

“It’s hard not to, but not as often as I used to.” 

Another pause. Hesitantly, Milo peeped, “You thought I’d be angry?” 

“It’s a pretty big thing to keep from someone and it’s really awful, and- And-” A few tears started streaming down Bradley’s cheeks, “And I’m really sorry for doing it!” 

Milo wrapped his arms around Bradley. Bradley tucked his face into Milo’s shoulder and cried. “Text me when you feel like cutting again, okay?” Milo requested gently. 

Bradley sniffled, “What? 

“Text me when you feel like cutting again,” Milo repeated, “I want to help.” 

“You don’t have to do that.” 

“I want to.” 

“I started this mess. I should be the one to clean it up. You don’t deserve to be caught up in this.” 

“And _you_ don't deserve to try to fix this alone,” Milo rebutted. 

After a moment of consideration, Bradley agreed, “Alright.” He wiped his eyes, although fresh tears took the place of the ones he brushed away. “I always said you were too stubborn to reason with,” Bradley added with a sad laugh, “I love that about you.” 

“And I love you,” Milo told Bradley, pressing a kiss into his forehead. 

Bradley felt the stress begin to ebb away, and he let out a content sigh. “I think everything’s going to be okay.”


End file.
